Online resources

People

Colonial settlers of Connecticut generally came from Great Britain and neighboring New England states. Descendants of these early settlers later scattered throughout northern New England, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas. Many Irish and German immigrants began coming in the late 1840s. French-Canadian immigration began after the Civil War and continued through the rest of the nineteenth century. Late in the century most immigrants came from the southern and eastern countries of Europe, including Italy, Hungary, Poland, and Russia.

P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 15 Volumes. (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1981- ). FHL book 973 W32p Indexes of names of colonial immigrants listed in published sources. The first three volumes are a combined alphabetical index published in 1981. Supplemental volumes and cumulative indexes have been published. At various libraries (WorldCat). Available on Ancestry ($).

Mystic Seaport has an index which can be searched by vessel or people for the period 1789-1939.

The Records

The major port of entry to New England is Boston. The Family History Library and the National Archives have passenger lists for Boston for 1820 to March 1874 and 1883 to 1935. The following indexes are available:

1848-1891, 1902-1906, 1906-1920, and book indexes 1899-1940 These years are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under MASSACHUSETTS, SUFFOLK, BOSTON - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION.

The Massachusetts State Archives also has Boston passenger lists for 1848 to 1874 and 1883 to 1891. This includes records for the nine years missing from the National Archives records. The 1848 to 1891 index (above) is an index to the state lists but can also be used for the National Archives records.